Oklahoma House of Representatives
| Oklahoma House of Representatives | |
 | |
| General Information | |
| Type: | Lower house |
| Term limits: | 12 year cumulative total, in either or both chambers |
| 2013 session start: | February 4, 2013 |
| Website: | Official House Page |
| Leadership | |
| House Speaker: | T.W. Shannon, (R) |
| Majority Leader: | Pam Peterson, (R) |
| Minority leader: | Scott Inman, (D) |
| Structure | |
| Members: | 101 |
| Democratic Party (29) Republican Party (72) | |
| Length of term: | 2 years |
| Authority: | Art V, Oklahoma Constitution |
| Salary: | $38,400/year + per diem |
| Elections | |
| Last Election: | November 6, 2012 (101 seats) |
| Next election: | November 4, 2014 (101 seats) |
| Redistricting: | Legislature draws boundaries first |
Contents |
In Oklahoma, representatives serve two-year terms with a limit of a combined total of twelve years served in the Senate and House of Representatives.
As of June 2013, Oklahoma is one of 24 Republican state government trifectas.
Sessions
Article V of the Oklahoma Constitution establishes when the Oklahoma State Legislature, of which the House of Representatives is a part, is to be in session. Section 26 of Article V states that the Legislature is to meet in regular session on the first Monday in February of each year, and it is to adjourn its regular session by the last Friday in May of each year. Additionally, Section 26 also states that the Legislature is to meet for organizational purposes on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in January of each odd-numbered year.
Section 27 of Article V contains the rules for convening special sessions of the Legislature. Section 27 allows a special session to be called by the Governor of Oklahoma or by a written call signed by two-thirds of the members of both legislative houses.
2013
- See also: Dates of 2013 state legislative sessions
In 2013, the Legislature will be in session from February 4 through May 31.
Major issues
For the 2013 session, leaders of the Republican majority said their goals include changes to the state pension system and workers compensation funds, tax cuts, and increased funding for education.[3]
2012
- See also: Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions
In 2012, the House was in session from February 6 through May 25.
2011
- See also: Dates of 2011 state legislative sessions
In 2011, the House was in session from February 7 through May 27. [4]
2010
- See also: Dates of 2010 state legislative sessions
In 2010, the House was in session from February 1 to May 28.[5]
Transparency
The Sunlight Foundation released an "Open Legislative Data Report Card" in March 2013. Oklahoma was given a grade of D in the report. The report card evaluated how adequate, complete and accessible legislative data is to the general public. A total of 10 states received an A -- Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Kansas, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Washington.[6]
Elections
2012
Elections for the office of Oklahoma House of Representatives were held in Oklahoma on November 6, 2012. All 101 seats were up for election.
The signature filing deadline for candidates in these elections is June 6, 2012.
Oklahoma state representatives are subject to term limits, and may not serve more than 12 years between both chambers of the state legislature. In 2012, 6 state representatives were termed-out of office.
The following table details the 10 districts with the smallest margin of victory in the November 6 general election.
| 2012 Margin of Victory, Oklahoma House of Representatives | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Winner | Margin of Victory | Total Votes | Top Opponent |
| District 45 |  Aaron Stiles |
0.1% | 13,590 | Paula Roberts |
| District 56 |  David L Perryman |
1.1% | 12,064 | Chuck Utsler |
| District 22 | Charles A McCall |
1.8% | 13,219 | Doris Anne Row |
| District 71 | Katie Henke |
6.5% | 13,835 | Dan Arthrell |
| District 2 | John R. Bennett |
7.5% | 11,753 | Rick Agent |
| District 12 | Wade Rousselot |
7.9% | 13,616 | David Tackett |
| District 14 | Arthur Hulbert |
9.7% | 12,550 | Jerry Rains |
| District 87 | Jason Nelson |
10.7% | 12,744 | Nick Singer |
| District 32 | Jason Smalley |
14.1% | 13,720 | Keith Kinnamon |
| District 23 | Terry O'Donnell |
16.9% | 10,614 | Shawna Keller |
2010
Elections for the office of Oklahoma's House of Representatives were held in Oklahoma on November 2, 2010.
The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was June 9, 2010. The primary election day was July 27, 2010.
The partisan breakdown of the senate before and after the election is as follows:
| Oklahoma House of Representatives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 1, 2010 | After the 2010 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 39 | 31 | |
| Republican Party | 62 | 70 | |
| Total | 101 | 101 | |
In 2010, the candidates for state house raised a total of $8,005,830 in campaign contributions. The top 10 donors were: [7]
| 2010 Donors, Oklahoma House of Representatives | |
|---|---|
| Donor | Amount |
| Chickasaw Nation | $261,500 |
| Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma | $258,400 |
| Dank, David | $163,077 |
| Cherokee Nation | $141,000 |
| Pruett, Raymond (RC) C | $133,150 |
| Chesapeake Energy | $102,000 |
| Oklahoma Public Employees Association | $93,750 |
| Oklahoma Society of Anesthesiologists | $91,000 |
| Oklahoma Association of Realtors | $83,150 |
| Oklahoma Association of Optometric Physicians | $80,550 |
Qualifications
Article 5, Section 17 of the Oklahoma Constitution states: Members of the Senate shall be at least twenty-five years of age, and members of the House of Representatives twenty-one years of age at the time of their election. They shall be qualified electors in their respective counties or districts and shall reside in their respective counties or districts during their term of office.
Vacancies
| How Vacancies are filled in State Legislatures |
 |
If there is a vacancy in the House, the Governor must call for a special election no later than 30 days after the vacancy happened. No special election can be called if the vacancy happens after March 1st during the year the seat is set to expire[8].
The person who wins the special election serves for the remainder of the unexpired term[9].
Redistricting
- See also: Redistricting in Oklahoma
In Oklahoma, the state legislature is in charge of redistricting. If the state legislature fails to agree on a map by its deadline, then redistricting becomes the responsibility of the Oklahoma Reapportionment Commission. Although the legislature is given latitude, Oklahoma laws regarding redistricting require that the cores of existing districts are maintained, other political subdivisions remain intact, 'communities of interest' should be respected and combined, and the state must explicitly comply with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act protecting the representation of minority populations.
2010
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Oklahoma's population increased from 3.45 million to 3.75 million between 2000 and 2010.[10] The population was densest around Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Growth rates were highest in the suburban and exurban areas surrounding these cities, while rural Oklahoma counties grew slowly or lost population. Of Oklahoma's 77 counties, 23 registered a drop in population between 2000 and 2010.[11] The state's overall growth rate was 8.7 percent, which was below the national average of 9.7 percent, but not low enough to cost the state a Congressional seat, as occurred as a result of the 2000 Census.[12]
Oklahoma officials received detailed Oklahoma results from the Census in February. The legislature formed steering committees in each chamber to draft the maps before the May 27, 2011 deadline. The House of Representatives completed its work relatively quickly, producing a map that avoided putting any incumbents in a district together by early May.[13] Discussions in the Senate were more heated and partisan, and the Senate did not produce a map in mid-May.[14][15][16] The House map was passed overwhelmingly in its initial vote, while the Senate encountered minority opposition. However, opposition eased on the second round of votes, and the Governor Mary Fallin signed the bills into law seven days before the deadline.[17][18]
Partisan composition
- See also: Partisan composition of state houses
| Party | As of June 2013 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 29 | |
| Republican Party | 72 | |
| Total | 101 | |
The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Oklahoma State House of Representatives from 1992-2013.
Representatives
Leadership
The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the body. Duties of the Speaker include preserving order and decorum, referring proposed legislation to committee, and signing bills, resolutions, and papers.[19][20][21]
Current leadership
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
As of 2013, members of the Oklahoma Legislature are paid $38,400/year during legislative sessions. Legislators receive $147/day per diem tied to the federal rate.[22]
When sworn in
Oklahoma legislators assume office November 17th.
Current members
Standing committees
The Oklahoma House has the following 22 standing committees:
- Administrative Rules, Government Oversight and Repealer
- Agriculture and Wildlife
- Appropriations and Budget
- Calendar
- Common Education
- Economic Development and Financial Services
- Energy and Aerospace
- General Government
- Government Modernization
- Higher Education and Career Tech
- Human Services
- Insurance
- Judiciary
- Long-Term Care and Senior Services
- Public Health
- Public Safety
- Rules
- States' Rights
- Tourism and International Relations
- Transportation
- Utility and Environmental Regulation
- Veterans and Military Affairs
History
Partisan balance 1992-2013
From 1992-2013, the Democratic Party was the majority in the Oklahoma State House of Representatives for the first 13 years while the Republicans were the majority for the last nine years. Oklahoma was under Republican trifectas for the final three years of the study.
Across the country, there were 577 Democratic and 483 Republican State Houses of Representatives from 1992 to 2013.
Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states have divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.
The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma State Senate and the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1992-2013.
.PNG)
External links
- Official website of the Oklahoma House of Representatives
- Official list of the current members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives
- Oklahoma House of Representatives on Wikipedia
References
- ↑ Population in 2010 of the American states
- ↑ Population in 2000 of the American states
- ↑ Muskogee Phoenix, "State House Republicans unveil 2013 legislative agenda," February 1, 2013
- ↑ 2011 Legislative Sessions Calendar, NCSL
- ↑ 2010 session dates for Oklahoma legislature
- ↑ Sunlight Foundation Ten Principles for Opening Up Government Information, accessed June 16, 2013
- ↑ Follow the Money: "Oklahoma House 2010 Campaign Contributions"
- ↑ Justia "Oklahoma Statutes"(Referenced Statute 26-12-106(A), Oklahoma Statutes)
- ↑ Justia "Oklahoma Statutes"(Referenced Statute 26-12-105, Oklahoma Statutes)
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "2010 Census: Oklahoma Profile," 2011
- ↑ USA Today, "Oklahoma City, suburbs see 'significant growth'," February 18, 2011
- ↑ The Express-Star, "State's congressional representation to stay the same," March 7, 2011
- ↑ Tulsa Today, "Not Kumbaya, but close: House reapportionment headed to a peaceful end", May 10, 2011
- ↑ Tulsa World, "Redistricting draws criticism: One senator says lawmakers shouldn't be involved in the process", April 24, 2011
- ↑ News-Star "House redistricting moves forward, Senate plan stalls," May 10, 2011
- ↑ NewsOK, "State Senate releases maps for proposed districts", May 12, 2011
- ↑ Real Clear Politics "Fallin signs House, Senate redistricting bills," May 20, 2011
- ↑ The Oklahoman, "Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin signs redistricting bills", May 21, 2011
- ↑ Rules of the Oklahoma House of Representatives - Duties and Rights of the Speaker
- ↑ Oklahoma House Majority Leadership
- ↑ Oklahoma House Minority Leadership
- ↑ NCSL.org, "2012 State Legislator Compensation and Per Diem Table," accessed March 18, 2013
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